Parasiticidal preparation



Patented May 2 3,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,349,171 PARASITICIDAL PREPARATION William P. ter Horst, Packanack Lake,N. 1., as-

signor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation or New Jersey No Drawing. Application May 23,1941,

lower to take place in a moist chamber at 25 C. On the untreated slides usually approximately 98% of the spores germinated.

Serial No. 894,788

.. 7 .Claims. (Cl. 16730) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ,parasitlcidal preparations. Percent germination alter More particularly the invention relates to pray f dlflerentdurparasiticides, which may be used as fungicides, Chemical seed protectants, insecticides, insect repellents, or 5 6 m bactericides to control harmful bacteria on I K M plants and seeds.

The paraslticidal preparations include cer- Tetrachlor-p-beniotiui nohe:II:III: 913 813 110 3Z3 01o tain halogen-substituted quinones: also certain halogen-substituted hydroquinones and metallic salts of the latter. They may be used in the form is r-ne oqlnnone. a t o h it is a of s rays or dusts, alone or in combination with potent fungicid has severe effects on some other fungicides or insecticides-or in combinaplants and seeds. In order to reduceor elimition with fertilizers or other suitable auxilia o plant o ee injury te c or-pen agents, spreading agents, etc. quinone can be used in admixture with an anti- While some of the compounds have outstandgo d bufle ins agent'nre era ly a mildly alkaline ing value as iungicldes,others oi the compounds compound. e. 8-. approximately of disodium have outstanding insecticidal value including Ph p m ni m Ph p so um cartheir use as insect repellents for such pests as "the bonate, sodium bicarbonate. mono-calcium phos- Mexican bean beetle, the Colorado potato beetle, =phate, di-calcium phosphate, sodium borate, amthe coniused flour beetle, wire worm, corn seed gs m um x m flnes m id Zin ox maasot. etc. etc. Plant or seed injury can also be reduced The tests tabulated below, demonstrate the or eliminated by admixture of tetrachlorhydroeffectiveness 01' the new fungicides in preventing I quinone with the tetrachlorquinone, the mixture spore germination. The tests were carried out being at least as potent fungicidally as the tetraas follows: so chlorquinone alone. Also, in many instances,

An aqueous solution or suspension or the the tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone can safely be chemical to be tested containing 5 grams thereof used alone. per liter oi water was prepared. This solution Tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone is highly effective orsuspension was sprayed on glass slides which as a seed protectant; the same is true of tetrahad previously been coated with ultra-cellulose. 35 chlorhydroquinone. The following tests clearly An atomizer was used capable oi delivering cc. show the effectiveness of these materials as seed of spray liquid in 38 seconds. A glass slide was protectants. positioned two feet away from the nozzle-oi the Pea-seed oi the variety Wilt Resistant Perfecatomizer'. Bpraying'was carried out tor, respection" was dusted with by weight of the tively, 3 seconds, 5% seconds, 8 seconds, 10% sec- 40 new seed protectant. 100 seeds were selected at onds, and 13 seconds. The spray deposit was alrandom and were then placed on moistened Scott lowed to dry. The test organism. for example toweling. rolled up and placed in a seed incubator Maerospofium sarcimeforme, was then placed running at 20 C. The samples werewatered on the sprayed slide and germination was alaily and the data were recorded on the sixth day. The untreated seeds gave a germination of The seeds treated with tetrachlor benzoquinone gave a germination of 99.0%. The

seeds treated with tetrachlerhydroquinone gave a germination of 98.0%.

In addition. it was found that the seeds treated with tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone gave seedlings with longer sprouts and longer roots than the untreated seed, which can be ascribed to a stimulating or hormone effect. This efiect has not been observed in tests made with other halogenated quinones. This so-called hormone action of tetrachlor-p-quinone allows of its use in the treatment of seeds generally.

Comparative tests on pea seed, Wilt Resistant Perfection," for percentage germination in very moist soil, using a dosage of 25% by weight of seed protectant, showed the following:

Average percent.

germination after days Control (untreated seed) 16 Monochlor-benzoquinone 6 2,6.dichlor-benzoquinone 10 2,5 dichlor-benzoquinone 14 Tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone 78 Tetrachlor-o-benzoquinone 64 Bufiered tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone 83 Further, the seed protectant index (product of the germination fraction and the average height) for the buffered tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone was 2.640, .187 for monochlor-p-benzoquinone, .228 for 2,6-dichlor p-benzoquinone, .381 for 2,5-dlchlor-p-benzoquinone, and .039 for the untreated seed. In a similar test in soil tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone gave a seed protectant index of 3.298 as against .127 for the untreated seed.

When tetra-chlor-p-benzoquinone is used with an anti-acid bufler or mildly alkaline compound, it can be successfully used as a foliage fungicide, as a seed protectant for vegetable, fruit, and flower seeds, and as a soil protectant. Incorporation of as little as .03% of such a mix into soil will protect seed planted in that soil from pathogenic fungi without injuring the root system. As distinguished from formaldehyde and 'chlorpicrin, which are volatile and injurious to seed and which require a lapse of some time beforeplanting seeds, the present mix can be applied to soil at all temperatures thereof. and seed planting can be begun at once. Hence the present mix is considered the most outstanding organic fungicide for use in agriculture.

Further advantages and properties of the tetrathat may be controlled by buffered tetrachlor-pbenzoquinone include the following:

Nun: or Fumes A. Diseases of roots and underground parts Rhizoctonia solani Fusarium solani var. martil-Z Fusarium solani var. maria-3 Pythium ultimum Glomerella gossvpii Fusarium conglutinans Ascochyta pinodetla or Mycosphaerella pinoides Aphanomyces euteiches Fomes liqnos'es B. Seed-borne diseases Glomerella aosypii C. Foliage, stem and fruit diseases Sclerotinia homgocarpe Sclerotinia lruticula Gmnnosporanaium a'uniperimrginianae Venturia inaequalis Phusalospom cydom'ae Elsinoe jdwcetti Coccomuces hiemalis Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum Alternaria solani or Macrospoflum solani Phutophthora injestans Cercospora apli Septoria apii Valsa cincta Valsa leucostoma Ascochyto pinodella Uromuces phaseoli Cladosporium carpophilum Peronospora tabocina' Diplocarpon rosae Sphaerotheca pannosa Peronospora 8W8 Heterosporium tridis Fomes lignosus Polzmm'us zonalis Ovulinia azalae D. Non-parasitic or weakly parasitic fungi Macrosporium sarcinaejorme Asperaillus sp.

Penicillium sp.

Rhdeopus nigricans The mix of tetrachlor p-benzoquinone with anti-acid buffer or mildly alkaline compound can be applied in large dosages without causing seed injury, although the tetrachlorquinone itself is too severe for some seeds and foliage; when applied to seed it imparts a distinct yellow color which enables the grower to tell treated from untreated seed; it lubricates seed, thus obviating the use of graphite; the mix exerts hormone action, i. e., it increases the speed of emergence and the elongation of the plant, with the result that higher yields are obtainable, especially with peas, llma beans, and cotton: the use of the mix results in uniform crops, which is of importance to canners where uniform size of peas, beans, corn, cucumber, and other vegetables is important in the canning operation; since the tetrachlor-p-benzo-quinone is substantially insoluble in water it is not readily leached out during rains and the relative insolubility permits application of the mix to seed that is still moist, for example, cotton seed immediately after ginning; the mix is relatively non-volatile so that treated seed can be stored in Jute bags for lengthy periods without loss of the protectant; the mix has excellent adhesion to foliage and seed and therefore requires no additional sticking agent: the mix prevents seed decay and damping ofll" i. e., prevents rot of seed in soil before sprout comes out or seedling emerges and for several days after emergence during which the plant feeds while germinating against soil-born pathogenic fun i.

The above results with pea seed were further substantiated in another experiment in which 2,349,771 Telephone Pea seed was selected which had been in storage for over four years and which was known to be heavily infested with molds and bacteria such as: Rhizopus nigricans, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Macrosporium, Phomas, etc. The un-- treated seed (100 seed) gave only 34% germinaof which 40 were vigorous sprouts.

In still another experiment, samples of healthy peas of the'variety "Wilt Resistant Perfection were treated as previously described on paper towels, and then artificially inoculated with a pure culture of Rhizoctania solani and incubated as before. The results were as follows:

Number healthy sprouts Similar results have been obtained with pea seed artificially inoculated with Sclerotinia 25,600. which is equivalent to one-half ounce to sclerotiorum and with lima bean seed. These results were confirmed by field tests on lima beans, in which .125% of tetrachlor-p-benzoquinone ccntaining 1% of disodium phosphate was applied to the seed, An average increase of emergence of 30% over the control was obtained, and in some cases an increase of 50% was readily apparent.

Tetrachloro-hydroquinone and tetrachloro-pbenzoquinone were found to be Powerful bactericides when tested against Bacterium mat, the bacterium causing bacterial leaf spot on peaches, and are efl'ectlve as fungicides and bactericides in concentrations as low as 1 part in gallons of water. a

Metal salts of the tetra halogen hydroquinone compounds other than those referred to above may be used including such as those of the hypothetical metal ammonium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, mercury, iron, aluminum, etc., particularly the water-insoluble salts.,

The materials described herein may be applied undiluted, or suspended in water or other vehicle, or mixed with talc, clay and the like, or as aforesaid may be used in admixture with other parasiticidal chemicals.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by letters Patent is:

1. The method of immunizing seed against attack by fungi which comprises treating said seed with tetrachlor-para-benzoguinone.

2. The method of. immunizing seed against attack by i'ungi which comprises treating said seed with a mixture of tetrachlor-para-benzoquinone and a mildly alkaline buffering agent.

3. The method of immunizing seed against attack by fungi which comprises treating said seed with a mixture of tetrachlor-para-benzoquinone and tetrachlorhydroduinone.

4. The method of protecting seeds, plant and soil against attack .by organisms which comprises treating said material with tetrachlorpara-benzoquinone.

5. The method of protecting seeds, plants and soil against attack by organisms which comprises treating said material with a mixture of tetrachlor-para-benzoquinone and a mildly alkaline buffering agent.

6. The method of protecting seeds, plants and soil against attack by organisms which comprises treating said material with a mixture of tetrachlor-para-benzoquinone and tetrachlorhydroquinone.

7. A seed, plant and soil fungicidal compositlon comprising tetrachlor-para-benzoquinone as an essential active ingredient and containing a mildly alkaline buffering agent.

. WILLIAM P. TER HORST. 

